I have been working at Mazda North American Operations full-time (more than 5 years)

Pros

Nice products, Employee Vehicle Lease Program, Benefits

Cons

Pay is low. Upward mobility is non existent. The only people I saw move up happened to have close relations with upper management, and received privileged opportunities . There is limited transparency between job titles and responsibilities. Outdated equipment results in a need to use utilize personal items for daily activities. Lots of smoke and mirrors to justify preferential treatment/ benefits to a select few. Very cliquey work atmosphere.

I have been working at Mazda North American Operations full-time (more than 8 years)

Pros

The benefits are good, money for a company lease, medical, etc.

The pay is not high, but it is in the ballpark for a given position. In general, the lower your position level, the better the pay is relative to other jobs.

The bonuses more than make up for the lower pay and the company never changes the goal if it looks as if it will be met. If anything they give a larger bonus if the goal is exceeded. If you don't meet the goal, you get a reduced bonus, not zero.

Cons

Leadership is lacking, everything is reactive and rarely proactive.

There is a huge disconnect between management and reality.

Advice to ManagementAdvice

Go talk to employees. The MC CEO toured the MNAO facilities and talked to employees. Why is that not true of the US executives? What's up with that? Don't take middle management's word for it, go walk "the factory floor" now and then.

I have been working at Mazda North American Operations full-time (more than a year)

Pros

Benefits/work life family balance/nice bonuses/excellent car program

Cons

There's a couple more people that should have been encouraged to take the package offered 2 years ago. A couple people are allowed to sour work relationships because they've been there awhile and kiss up to the higher ups.

Also our advertising spend has jumped big time. We need relevant commercials though. Not Mia Ham, Bruce Lee, and Duran Duran. We could learn from Toyota, Buick, and Kia.

Advice to ManagementAdvice

Give decent merits to folks that get it done! Additionally, look outside the box more often.

I have been working at Mazda North American Operations full-time (more than a year)

Pros

Great Benefits (Car allowance, twice a year bonus, early release during the summer), They are still building up from their last round of lay offs a few years ago and it's a good chance to get your foot in and move forward.

Cons

There is a weird underlying "thing" i can't put my finger on. Between the people who have been around through the lay off and the new people. A lot of job protecting and people aren't willing to work together for fear they might get the axe!

Advice to ManagementAdvice

Work on opening up the communication between all of the departments. Especially between the Japanese side and American side. Be more flexible to change.

I worked at Mazda North American Operations full-time (more than 3 years)

Pros

Good benefits, Friday summer hours, car allowance, casual dress code.

Cons

Management not held accountable. If sales aren't tracking to objectives, they adjust objectives down to meet sales. When layoffs come the hard working lower level staff is easily let go but its the top management team which continues to make the same mistakes time after time. This is why Mazda makes no improvements in their performance. Profits for Mazda is macroeconomic based. Since the Yen is weak profits are up. It's a false sense of security.

I have been working at Mazda North American Operations full-time (more than 3 years)

Pros

Good cars. Decent work/life balance. They pay below average but it's better than finding a new job.

Cons

I have never worked for a company as dysfunctional as this one. Regardless of what you may hear from the corporate officers, this company is firmly rooted in Ford from the 1970s. Day-to-day operations are sloppy and unprofessional. Improvements are nearly impossible because there is so much political infighting.

I worked at Mazda North American Operations full-time (more than 10 years)

Pros

Lease car and other benefits. Oh, and, Irvine is nice.

Cons

Not a team environment. Lots of CYA and being thrown under the bus. Company works good workers to death while loafers just listen to iPods or wander around chatting most of the day. Workloads not evenly distributed. Cubicle inhabitants very inconsiderate of others (loud chatting, joking around, smelly foods, too-loud music at workstation, etc.). Company has way too many managers and a very stale senior management team that needs to be cycled out. Company's monthly sales goals often missed, so morale is low. Several smaller departments have too few positions to allow for adequate growth opportunities. Serious, valuable training programs don't exist: you're really on your own. Antiquated computer database/system (green screens on mainframe). Building is showing its age inside and out, plus the A/C hardly works in the summer. Budgets are very tight and departments are frequently asked to cut expenses during fiscal year and/or work with vendors to lower their costs (profits), even after contracts have been fully executed. Company's long-term goals and vision are weak with no realistic plans to achieve them.

Advice to ManagementAdvice

Directors and above really need to find out how middle managers are conducting their business internally. Many can come across as funny or charming, can spin a good tale, and can be convincing, but you need to dig in and learn for yourselves what's really happening. Look for bullying tactics, discrimination, and favoritism. Hitting monthly departmental objectives doesn't always mean the department is actually healthy.

Glassdoor has 42 Mazda North American Operations reviews submitted anonymously by Mazda North American Operations employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Mazda North American Operations is right for you.